Reviews

I really liked this one! I have a family member with autism (although higher functioning that the character portrayed in the movie) and it was relatable and, I thought, a great topic for a Hallmark movie. Very sweet and well-acted and not too sappy (maybe just a little). Yes, there is the ever-present Christmas market and a visit to a Christmas tree lot, but it's really not your typical Hallmark Christmas movie. It's the kind of movie I wish Hallmark would make more of. Between this and The Christmas Doctor, Holly Robinson Peete is on a roll!

The chemistry between the cast is amazing!! It really does feel like they are family and it is a pleasure to sit back and watch them interact. Having said that, the movie kind of dragged, especially the second half. There is very little in the way of drama/tension and the humor from the first two movies was also lacking. All in all not a bad way to spend two hours. I'm guessing that Debbie Morgan was busy filming "Our Kind of People" but it's nice that they were able to include her in the way they did. I thought she did a great job with her part.

So I know that this wasn't a Christopher Nolan movie, but the time travel aspect of the story needed a little more science for me (especially considering that the main character was an astrophysicist). I feel that the writers could have developed that part of the story a lot more or tried to tie in the comet that is referred to throughout the movie. "Journey Back to Christmas" with Candace Cameron-Bure did a better job with it's time travel elements.

Also, the scenes on the carousel were very awkward. Could it have gone faster? Or could they have added in more special effects or whooshing sounds? Something was off there.

Having said all that, this was a pleasant, above average Hallmark offering and it's always nice to see Tamara Mowry-Housely on the screen. She is a good leading lady!

Just...not good. I wish that the idea of using boots to track down the department store Santa was the plot of the entire movie - kind of like a holiday, gender swapped Cinderella! That could have been a lot of fun. Here, the shoes are an afterthought in the last 15 minutes. Overall, the movie was not well plotted or well written and the main character's mother was extremely annoying. Hilty's other Lifetime movie, Sweet Mountain Christmas, was MUCH better!

I never thought I would say this about a Hallmark Christmas movie, but...this one just wasn't Christmas-y enough!! It definitely felt like the movie was written and then the Hallmark execs went back and added in the Christmas elements at the last minute. The plot really could have worked any time of year.

In addition to that, I just didn't find the movie that interesting and had trouble following who each character was working for (the foundation? the charity? the PR firm?) and what his or her position there was. Also, I figured out the "twist" in the first 5 minutes. I'm usually a fan of Candace Cameron's Christmas movies, so this one was a disappointment for me.

This was a very sweet movie!. Even though this story has been done countless times before, it still felt fresh to me and held my interest throughout. The lead actrees, Nazneem Contractor, was very engaging in her role and she is what ultimately made the movie work for me. Nothing groundbreaking here, but the execution was good and I think you will enjoy it!

I really enjoyed this one!! Holly Robinson Peete was very good and the story, while hitting most of the usual Hallmark movie beats, was engaging and enjoyable to watch. The chemistry between the two leads was also very good. The movie was sweet without being overly sappy/sentimental, and I liked that it was a more grounded, believeable story and romance compared to some of the other Hallmark movies. Definitely check this one out!